One Night Stand: The Proposition by Katie Ashley

KINDLE

The Proposition by Katie Ashley
Contemporary  
Katie Ashley Productions (October 30, 2012)

Rating: B+
Heat: Hot

Heroine: Emma Harrison – All-American Sweetheart, Mother 
Hero: Aidan Fitzgerald – Womanizer, Sperm Donor 
Setting: Georgia, USA



Synopsis:


Review:

“Have you ever wanted something so bad you think you’d die if you didn’t have it? That the mere thought of it keeps you up at night. You can’t sleep, you can’t eat, you can’t drink. You are so consumed by that desire nothing else matters, and you’re not sure life is worth living if you can’t have it.”

Pushing thirty with her biological clock ticking, Emma wants nothing more than to be a mother. Afraid to use a random stranger as the sperm donor, she makes arrangements with her gay best friend, Connor, to be the sperm donor with no strings attached. However, Connor’s partner is not keen on the idea and Connor is left with no choice but to back out of the arrangement.

Aidan Fitzgerald, VP of the company’s firm and office womanizer, comes along and happens to overhear Emma and Connor arguing. Aidan remembers this woman who rejected his advances at the company’s Christmas party. Still attracted to her and determined to have her, he talks her into having drinks with him. While talking, Emma confesses her desire to have a baby. Aidan then offers Emma a proposition she can’t resist. A proposition where Aidan gets the woman and Emma gets the baby.

“Here’s my proposition. I offer to father your child, and you in turn, promise to conceive it with me naturally.”

Emma is the All-American sweetheart. She’s successful, beautiful, funny, and has her life together, except she’s met so many duds in the dating pool, she’s lost hope of ever falling in love and having a family one day. She’s not the type to just hook up with someone. She believes a person should be committed and in a loving relationship to have sex, which means she’s only been with one person, her late fiancĂ©. She has lost so much in her life – her fiancĂ© died in a car wreck and she lost her mother to cancer. She’s sad, lonely, and desperately wants a baby to love and to fill the void in her life. This arrangement with Aidan is completely out of her comfort zone and goes beyond what she believes in. With no expectations but to make a baby with him, she tries to keep her emotions in check. And as much as her brain says one thing, her heart says another. She begins to fall for Aidan.

From the beginning, Aidan Fitzgerald was straight forward with Emma, explaining that he does not do relationships. He only wants a sexual relationship with her, the woman who got away at the Christmas party. No commitments beyond that. If things get too serious with a woman, Aidan tends to bail out, fast. But this bad-boy isn’t just a heartbreaker and serial womanizer. As the story progresses, a different side of Aidan begins to show. He is actually really funny, considerate, confident, and good with children – if they are out of diapers. He is also a horn dog. Which means the baby making process is extra fun and HOT. No complaints here, of course.

“Ooh, post sex ice cream…how romantic!” she mused.

“There goes that mouth of yours again,” Aidan replied, as he climbed out of bed and started for the kitchen.

“Good thing I’m about to fill it with ice cream, huh?”

Aidan winked at her over his shoulder. “I could think of something better to cram in your mouth.”

Aidan and Emma were FABULOUS together. The flirtatious bantering and the sexual chemistry made me fall in love with this couple. This is a good story where opposites really do attract. They both bring something special to the table. And as much as Emma didn’t want to get hurt or too emotionally involved, things began to change between Aidan and Emma. But because of Aidan’s fear of commitment, Emma has to handle Aidan with care. Gently nudge him when she needed a little bit more from him. But will he stick around when things become too deep, too emotional?

This story touched me on a personal level. I felt Emma’s pain and heartache. And I completely understood her desire to have a baby. She’s lost so much in her life and she wants to love and to be loved. She definitely deserved happiness. I just wish Aidan would’ve handled Emma with better care.

By the end of the story, I was happy, floating on cloud nine loving this couple and then BAM. I was taken out of my happy place and screaming at my Kindle. I seriously wanted kick Aidan’s teeth in. Or chop off his you know what! The man couldn’t man-up. Admit how he felt. Instead, he made a decision that will impact both Aidan and Emma’s life. I’m looking forward seeing him beg and grovel.

Aidan and Emma’s story isn’t quite done. The ending did leave me somewhat upset, but I didn’t feel completely crushed by the way Ms. Ashley left us hanging. Ms. Ashley gave us the good, the bad, and the ugly with this couple and left me with HOPE the good will out weigh the bad. I’m definitely looking forward to The Proposal, releases March 2013, to see how this story plays out.

Thoughts While Reading:

51.0% - "I can already tell this book is going to break my heart!"
94.0% - "ASSHOLE! I'm so effin pissed off!"

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